


figuring tangles out

by vannral



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, POV Varric, Post-Trespasser
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-26
Updated: 2015-10-26
Packaged: 2018-04-28 06:09:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5080642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vannral/pseuds/vannral
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Varric has no clue what the hell's going on with Cole and Lavellan, but he needs to make sure that Cole's happy with...whatever the hell is going on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	figuring tangles out

Varric thinks he got a small stroke, when he saw Cole kiss Lavellan’s cheek for the first time. Just like that. It’s in the Hall, _where everybody can see,_ and the Kid’s smiling gently, shyly, and Lavellan? Yeah, their Inquisitor is _beaming,_ a wide, happy smile that makes her eyes _shine,_ Varric’s not even kidding.

 

Well. He totally didn’t see _that_ one coming. ( _he gotta write it in his new book. This shit is even weirder, because OF COURSE it happens like this.)_

 

So, in the evening, he approaches the Kid in the garden, where Cole is feeding squirrels. He sits down beside him; evening sun is warm, golden-red and pretty.

 

     “Hello”, Cole greets him with a grin.

 

     “Hi, Kid. So, uh…what was that? Y’know, the thing with Lavellan. Up there. Don’t try, I saw you. I think…most of us did.”

 

Varric’s surprised to see Cole’s cheeks colour light pink. “Oh. Uh, she was happy to see me. And I was worried. Wyverns attacked her at the Plains.”

 

     “You know that’s not what I meant”, Varric says gently. “I meant, are you two…together or something?”

 

     “I don’t know”, Cole replies, and it’s one of those times, when Varric feels like _he’s_ the young one, and Cole’s just humouring him, like a playful old man.  

 

     “Do you _like_ her?” Varric’s not sure if he wants to use a word like ‘love’ just yet. He’s not even sure if Cole understands it yet. Hell, he doesn’t even understand what the fuck’s _going on._

 

Cole frowns. “Of course I like her”, he says, and sounds slightly scolding that Varric even asked him such a silly thing.

 

     “No, Kid, I mean – “

 

     “I know what you mean. She means so much; everything, _always,_ too much.”

 

Oh, okay, then, to hell with it. Varric sighs deeply and he just knows this is going to hurt his brain a lot, but the Kid is important, and Varric wants to know if he's happy with this development.

 

     “Do you _love_ her?” To hell with subtlety.

 

Cole looks up, his gaze very steady, very clear. "Yes", he says simply, like it's the most natural thing in the world, and maybe, to Cole, it is.

 

     "Okay, so...why?"

 

     "Because she...she’s _her._ The way she _is._ She gives, gives, gives and gives the blood and flesh from her bones, even though it hurts her, she never complains, never asks anything in return. She smiles, through tears, even though her heart's breaking."

 

Varric closes his eyes. That's probably the most accurate description of their Inquisitor that he's ever heard.

 

     "You know what...what love means, right?"

 

     "Yes. I am not young, I am not a child, Varric", Cole says mildly amused. "I know. I witnessed it before, countless times and examples, but I - I didn't have the understanding. The - the context.  It - it was like a picture. I saw it, but I didn't understand the little details that _made_ the whole picture. All the colours, hues, gestures. Now I do." 

 

     “What about the Bard? Is this why…it didn’t work with her?” Varric asks carefully as he watches Cole tear the bread into a small, fluffy pieces.

 

Cole's hands stop. "It didn't work, and it was my fault", he murmurs quietly. "She - didn't like how much Caoimhe meant to me. How ready I was to help her. Even across Orlais.” He sighs. Varric remembers how Cole and Maryden showed up at Skyhold; how worried Cole had been about Lavellan, and how bitter and hurt Maryden had looked. Cole sighs. "I didn't mean to hurt her, but I did, because..."

 

     "Lavellan is the most important to you", Varric completes. "Right?"

 

     "Yes." Without missing a beat, without a single second of hesitation. Okay. Varric can deal with this. The next thing is the tricky part.

 

     "So, why did you like Maryden?"

 

Cole glances at him, frowning. "I told you; her music helped people and she was kind", he replies.

Varric raises his arms, and his expression is still gentle, just slightly amused.

 

     "I know that, kid, I remember. But like you said, Goldilocks helps too. Basically her job. You didn't love her then?"

Cole bows his head down and murmurs very quietly: "I always did."

 

Varric blinks. "You did? _R_ _eally?"_

 

     "Yes. But she was busy. Solas, Fen'Harel, a wolf in the shadows. Heartbreak and confusion, and everything going wrong. Everybody wanting her attention, tearing her in different directions." Cole draws a deep, shaky breath. "She drew me to Therinfall Redoubt. She remembered me. She helped me. Helped everyone, even though everybody hated her. She's so heartbreakingly brave, hiding her agony from everyone, because she doesn't want to bother anyone." He looks somewhere behind the glass, gaze so wise, faraway. "Maryden was kind, too, but in a different way. I - I wanted to learn. To - be more human. Maryden helped me with that, but I - I don't think I handled it right."

 

     "Welcome to being a person, Kid. That's how it usually goes. Are you okay now?"

 

     "I - I think I needed to leave. A little while, away. To understand how I felt. To understand life and...living better. But I am sorry that Maryden got hurt."

 

Varric's gaze softens. "It's okay. Life is a mess, Kid, that’s how it is; we stumble and fall, but in the end, we grow and learn from our mistakes. Maryden’s happy with Krem, and you and Goldilocks?”

 

     “She makes me very happy”, Cole murmurs, and there’s a shy, pleased little grin.  

 

Yeah. They will be all right, these two.

**Author's Note:**

> I adore this game. I adore these characters, I'm way too attached to them. *deep sigh* Dammit Bioware.  
> Anyways, Cole is a very interesting character, especially considering what happened in Trespasser.  
> I'm sorry if this is a bit disjointed. Thank you for reading! :)


End file.
